As part of the exhibition, First Look: Collecting for Philadelphia (July 13 – September 8, 2013), the Museum presented two photographs by the celebrated artist known as Weegee. A press photographer in New York City, Weegee was embraced by both the popular media and the art world. His uncanny instinct for tracking down newsworthy scenes led to his unique pseudonym—derived, legend has it, from Ouija boards used for fortune-telling.

During the run of the exhibition, the Museum solicited feedback from visitors about which of these two Weegee photographs they thought should enter the Museum’s permanent collection. The Museum is delighted to announce that Self-Portrait with Mannequins, Hollywood generated the most positive feedback.

Thank you to all our visitors for their insightful comments, which you may read below, and to Mr. and Mrs. Anthony D’Orazio, who contributed funds to purchase the photograph.